Object-receiver.



PATENTED JUNE 9, 1908.

J. SOHMITZ.

OBJECT RECEIVER.

APPLICATION FILED 123.24, 190a.

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No. 890,307. PATENTED'JUNE 9, 190s.

' J SGHMITZ.

OBJECT RECEIVER.

APPLICATION FILED IBB.24,-190B.

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W/ T NESSES QQMV H T TOR/V5 Y5 TH: NO :Rls PETERS cm. WASHINGTON. D. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH SCHMITZ, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

OB JECT-RE CEIVER.

T 0 all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, JOSEPH SQHMITZ, a sub ject of the Emperor of Germany, residing at San Francisco, in the county of San F rancisco and State of California, have invented a new and useful Object-Receiver, of which the following is a specification in such full and clear terms as will enable those skilled in the art to construct and use the same.

This invention relates to a device used for the purpose of catching and delivering mail bags from fast moving trains, and its object is to make more certain the catching of the bag without injury to the same, and to also make more certain the placing of the bag on the platform of the station without having the bag broken open or ground to bits under the wheels of the train as is often the case where the bag is simply thrown from the car door when the mail clerk thinks he is near enough to the station. The loss of mail bags from this cause is very considerable and the contents of the bags are also very often completely destroyed when the bags are thrown out of the cars.

Another object of the invention is to make a standard frame which will hold any kind of a mail bag and make more certain the proper catching of the bag, since many times the bags used are not of the same size and do not always get properly caught in the devices carried by the train.

1n the drawings in which the same numeral is applied to the same parts throughout, Figure 1 is a vertical elevation partly in sec tion of the platform used to hold the mail bags when they are to be caught by the mail car, Fig. 2 is an end elevation partly in section of the platform, and showing the means of securing the catcher to the car, Fig. 3 is a plan view of the platform, the catcher and the means for securing the same to the car,

Fig. 4 is a perspective View of the latch used to hold the catcher when the same is in position to catch the mail bag, Fig. 5 is a view of the device used to hold the mail bag, and Fig. 6 is a side view of the catching device showing a net that may be used to insure the holding of the bag, should it happen to jump .out of the catcher.

The platform 4' is supported by means of the posts 1, 2 and 3 which may be braced together in any suitable manner as may be deemed necessary to make a firm supp ort for the mail bags. The platform is provided With a series of rails 5 which support the mail Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 24, 1908.

Patented June 9, 1908.

Serial No. 417,320.

any manner said nets being shown at 9, one

in the front and one in the rear of the platform.

The receiver is secured to the car by means of the hinged member 10, said member being pivoted to the car frame by the casting 11. The receiver has the arm 12 which extends to the outside of the catcher, the center members 6 and 7 on one side and the side members 13 and 14 being rigidly secured thereto. The side members 15 and 16 are rigidly se cured to the bar 17 as are the center members 6 and 7 on that side of the catcher, and near the top of the side members 15 and 16 there are links 18, and 19 which are also secured to the other sides 13 and 14. The result of this construction is that one of the receiver members may be folded over the other and thus the entire device will take up less room in the car when not in use. Attached to the bar 12 and to the bar 17 are the catches 20 which hold the mail bag in place after the same has been caught, and just before the platform takes it off of the receiver.

The arm 12 is held in place by means of the latch 21 on the side of the car and the handle 22 assists the mail clerk in lifting the catcher out of the way when it is to be returned to the inside of the car. The arm 12 is hinged to swing up on the member 10 and the member 10 is hinged to swing in a horizontal plane thus making it possible to so dispose the receiver in the car as to take up the least possible space.

Immediately below the platform 4 and at each end thereof there is placed a pin 23 which is pivoted in the horizontal plane so as to turn around out of the way when desired, said pin being for the purpose of catching and holding the mail bag frame 8 when the same has left the receiver. The mail bag frame 8 is made with a longitudinal center piece and with the cross arms 25 and 26, and with the depending member 27 said depending member having the forwardly projecting ears 28 and a hole 29, the object of said hole being to permit the pin 23 to catch the frame when it leaves the receiver.

At the front end of the frame there is a curved plate 30 which acts as a latch for holding theframe in position on the receiver when'the same has been caught from the platform 4. The center part of the frame 8 has a strap 31 attached thereto for the purpose of securing the mail bag to the frame. It may be necessary to equip the receiver with a net similar to that used on the plat form as shown in Fig. 6, but this is not thought to be essential.

The operation is as follows: The mail bag is secured to one of the frames 8 of which one is provided for each station Where the mail is to be taken without stopping the train, the bag is placed on the platform in the position shown in Fig. 1 with one end elevated by the depending member 27, and the other resting on the rails 5, a bag is also placed in the receiver by the mail clerk, or he does not have to so place a bag unless he has one to leave, the train moves along the platform and the receiver catches the bag moving it off the platform and as soon as it moves ahead far enough the front end of the frame drops down allowing the curved plate 30 to pass up behind the staple 20 secured to the bar 12. At the same time the bag carried by the train has been caught by the pin 23 on the platform and has been pulled out from under the staple 20 secured to the bar Which folds up with the sides 15 and 16. If desired the net separating the two divisions of the platform may be removed, and the impetus of the bag shot from the car received by the bag to be taken thereby; whereupon the bag on the platform is thrown into the catcher, while the delivered bag, having lost its momentum, rests on the platform.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is as follows:

1. In a mail bag catcher, the combination with a pivoted arm, of a catcher having sides and horizontally projecting tines, a latch to secure the catcher in a given position and a staple carried by the catcher and adapted to hold the mail bag in place 011 the receiver when it has been caught.

2. In a mail bag catcher, a pivoted arm secured to a car, a receiver secured to the arm and having a series of forwardly projecting forks or tines, means secured to the arm to hold the bag on the catcher, and a second receiver a duplicate of the first pivoted to' the latter and adapted to deliver a mail bag to a platform said second receiver being in the rear of the first and having its tines projecting in the opposite direction.

3. In a mail bag receiver, a pivoted arm secured to a car, a receiver secured to the arm, means carried by the arm to lock a mail bag on the receiver, and a second receiver pivoted to the first and projecting in the opposite direction.

4. In a mail bag receiver, a pivoted arm secured to the car, a receiver secured to the arm, means for locking a mail bag on the receiver when the same has been caught by it, a second receiver hinged to the first and adapted to fold thereover, said second receiver projecting in the opposite direction from the first and adapted to deliver a bag when the first receiver catches one, said second receiver also having a means to secure a bag to it prior to its being caught by the station platform. 5. In a mail bag receiver, the combination of an arm hinged to a car, a receiver having forwardly projecting tines, means to secure and hold the arm at right angles with the side of the car, means to secure the mail bag to the receiver when the same has been caught, and a second hinged receiver a duplicate of the first one extending to the rear thereof and adapted to discharge one mail bag when the said first hinged receiver is receiving another mail bag.

6. In a mail bag receiver, the combination of a hinged arm secured to a car, means to hold the arm at right angles with the side of the car, a receiver carried by the arm and having forwardly projecting tines, a second receiver hinged to the first receiver and adapted to be turned thereover, means on both receivers adapted to look a mail bag thereon said means consisting of a staple on each of the receivers.

7. In a frame for holding mail bags, a longitudinal member, two cross arms, and a depending member adapted to support the longitudinal member with one end higher than the other.

In testimony whereof I have set my hand this 15th day of February A. D. 1908, in the presence of the two subscribed Witnesses.

JOSEPH SOHMITZ.

' Witnesses:

FRANK P. MEDINA, Josnrn SonwARzKorr. 

